Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I rarely worked from home. Remote work was not something that was encouraged and few people had that option.
In mid-March 2020, that all changed when California shut down and everyone except essential workers were ordered to work from home due to the pandemic. That included most of my colleagues at UCI. I already had permission to work remotely for a short time as the threat of COVID was looming. I brought my work computer home and set up a home office in a spare bedroom. I was lucky. I still had a job and I had a quiet place to work.
What I didn’t realize at the time was how much I would enjoy working remotely. I had been feeling burned out at work for some time. The burnout turned to engagement as we all came together to find solutions to make remote teaching and learning a viable option in a short amount of time. However, it wasn’t just the renewed sense of purpose, it was also being able to work in an environment that helped me thrive as an introvert.
Why do introverts thrive in a remote environment?
- We often need quiet to be most efficient. A noisy office in the form of cubicles, thin walls or shared space is not the ideal place for an introvert to work. We are distracted and sometimes overwhelmed by office chatter. A colleague mentioned she missed being able to just drop in on other people when she needed an answer. I actually don’t like when people do that. It interrupts my workflow and it feels like someone jumped to the front of the queue with a demand. I can postpone an email or instant message until I have time to answer, but it’s rude to ignore a person standing in my doorway.
- We need time and space to think. Some people thrive on the adrenaline of short deadlines and are excited to brainstorm on the spot. Introverts tend to need more time to think about solutions. Being quiet, we tend to notice things other people miss and often come up with ingenious solutions. Working remotely gives us that space both literally and figuratively to innovate.
- We find social interactions exhausting. While we enjoy spending time with family, friends, and colleagues, we find too much interaction draining. Chatting via Slack or Teams is great. A few Zoom meetings per week is fine. Going to a large meeting where we need to be social or “on” is tiring both physically and emotionally. We can do it, but it takes a lot out of us. Requiring people to be present physically should be used sparingly for introverts. We don’t enjoy it in the same way extroverts do.
“Introverts’ brains show higher cortical arousal, meaning that they process more sensory information from their surroundings. They’re very perceptive, and more sensitive to details about their environment like color, light, and background noise. This is why introverts can become overwhelmed by high-activity settings and social situations—for them, it’s information overload.” from What Introverts Want Extroverts To Know About Workplace Collaboration
What you can do to support an introvert
If you are a manager, there is a good chance you are an extrovert. You thrive being around people and love being in a social environment. Your introverted staff do not enjoy it in the same way. Understand the differences and look at their job duties. Is it necessary for them to be physically present to do the work? If not and they prefer to work remotely, support them. They will work harder for you knowing that you respect them and their needs.
As the pandemic continues to recede thanks to vaccines, not everyone is eager to go back to the way things were. For many of us, this year was a respite. Being away has given us all the time to see what works and what does not.
For introverts like me, we now know we can thrive in a remote environment. Let us soar.
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